Overweight fishermen cleared to go to sea after ministers overturn controversial ban
A ban on fat fishermen working at sea has been overturned by ministers following an outcry from the industry.
Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, has ripped up rules which required crew members to get a health certificate before they could set sail.
Under the law, introduced in November and labelled “ludicrous” by the fishing industry, trawlermen were only allowed aboard if they had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of below 35.
For the average 5ft 10in man, this would mean weighing 17 stone 6lbs or below, and for a 6ft man just under 19 stones. A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese.
Ministers initially attempted to justify the ban by insisting it was a health and safety measure to stop fishermen putting themselves at risk.
Fierce backlash against regulation
But following a fierce backlash, they have now made an about turn and announced an exemption from the requirement for crew members on smaller boats.
Skippers had warned the Government that the demand for regular medical checks on their crew was heaping extra costs on their businesses.
It also risked creating staff shortages by forcing fishermen – including those who were healthy but breached the BMI limit – out of the industry, they said
Mr Harper said: “This Government backs our fishing industry, which is why we have listened to fishing communities and are easing the burden on small-scale fishermen to make sure they can continue their work unhindered.
“Our fishing sector will be able to continue operating safely, protected by our world-leading safety standards while supporting the UK fishing industry that forms the backbone of so many coastal economies.”
The rules originated with the International Labour Organisation, a Geneva-based UN agency, which held a Work in Fishing Convention in 2018.
Britain agreed to adopt the requirements and gave the fishing industry a five-year phase-in period, which ended last November, to get ready.
But following the backlash ministers have announced that workers on boats which are less than 10 metres long will no longer be subject to them.
Larger vessels not exempted
The exemption will only apply to crew members who can prove they worked for four weeks or more on a UK-registered boat between November 2021 and November 2023.
And larger vessels, which make up around a fifth of the British fishing fleet, will not be covered and so will still have to get medical certificates for their staff.
The New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association, an industry group representing the skippers of small boats, had been campaigning for the reversal of the rules.
Jerry Percy, its chief executive, had warned that the rules risked ending decades-long careers and argued BMI was a “discredited” health measure.
The technique, which is calculated using a person’s weight and height, has been criticised as inaccurate as it does not factor in factors like muscle mass.
